Lawn Mower

EAU CLAIRE Â? An elderly Pipestone Township man was found dead underneath a riding lawn mower Tuesday afternoon on Naomi near Park Road, the Berrien County SheriffÂ?s Department reported. Police believe the man, whose name was not released immediately, had been mowing along the side of the road on Monday and the lawn mower tipped, pinning him underneath. A passerby noticed something orange in the ditch and found the man shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday, the release said.

Dr. Stacey Leva, director of the Saint Joseph Urgent Care Center, recalls a patient during her residency who had burned off all the hair on his face and some off the top of his head. The cause? Refueling a lawn mower that was not completely cooled down. The University of Michigan Health System says 75,000 Americans are seriously injured in lawn mower accidents each year; 10,000 of those involve children. "The power lawn mower is one of the most dangerous tools around the home, but many children view it as a potential toy -- resulting in thousands of debilitating injuries every year," said Dr. L. Scott Levin, president of the American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery.

Maintaining your lawn mower can also help maintain the health of your grass. A sharp mower blade, part of routine maintenance, is essential to maintaining a healthy lawn, say the turf experts at Texas A&M University. Dull blades leave a ragged top, which turns brown and makes the lawn look tired. More important, "ragged tops are prime points of entry for many fungal pathogens and small turf insects," A&M says. Shops that sell mowers also service them. If you're not handy, getting them to do it could be a big relief.

Parents who contemplate turning over lawn mower duty to their children this summer, take note: Mowing injuries can be devastating but are usually preventable, a coalition of physicians groups warns. Last year more than 220,000 Americans were treated in emergency rooms and doctors' offices for mowing-related injuries, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, including more than 16,500 children and teenagers. To prevent injuries, children should be at least 12 before they operate any lawn mower and at least 16 before they use a ride-on mower, physicians groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, advise.

Lawn mowers, although an everyday machine used to create a beautiful lawn during the warmer months, can cause serious injuries and even fatalities. LaPorte Regional Health System and Riley Hospital for Children promote public awareness of the dangers of lawn mowers and provide tips on lawn mower safety. About 24 percent of children injured by a lawn mower sustain some type of amputation, and about 45 percent of children injured by a lawn mower sustain both open wounds and fractures. The following tips should be used for caution: -Never allow children under the age of 12 to operate a lawn mower or a tractor pulling a brush mower.

Jack Reed and some of his friends are angels in our midst. He checks on older adults and helps them with things a man is needed for, such as fixing lawn mowers and getting someone to cut your grass if you are disabled. And it is without charge. Jack took my lawn mower to someone to fix it. He sent someone out to clean up around my yard. I've seen him help other people. This is a blessing to many older adults. -- Mertice Jones, 78, of South Bend

NILES -- A Niles man has been arrested in connection with the theft of more than $12,000 in property from Rural King, 2707 S. 11th St., police reported Monday. Officers with the Berrien County Sheriff Department's Niles Township Patrol said Russell Garvin, 50, was charged with embezzlement and taken to the county jail. The stolen items were discovered in Cass County on Oct. 22, four days after officials at Rural King summoned police. Officers reported the items included a lawn mower, generator, trailer, chain saws and motorbikes.

In Indiana, teens between the ages of 14 and 17 can legally work, provided they have a work permit from their high school, which a parent or guardian has signed, according to the Department of Labor website. The teen's employer also must agree in writing to monitor the number of hours the teen works each week. Students can get work permits from their school counselors during the school year. In the summer, they can contact school administration offices to find out where to pick them up. High school drop-outs and home-schoolers also must have work permits.

SOUTH BEND -- Although it hadn't started snowing in South Bend as of deadline Tuesday night, police were advising motorists to drive with caution on the roads, which were expected to be blanketed with anywhere from 3 to 5 inches of snow overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, making it the largest snow event since last winter. For most drivers, the first significant snowfall of the year comes with headaches. Making the adjustment from driving on roads that had been free of ice or snow for the past eight or nine months to the white stuff can be a tough transition -- one that could lead to a night of white-knuckle driving and slide-offs, police said.

NILES -- A Niles man has been arrested in connection with the theft of more than $12,000 in property from Rural King, 2707 S. 11th St., police reported Monday. Officers with the Berrien County Sheriff Department's Niles Township Patrol said Russell Garvin, 50, was charged with embezzlement and taken to the county jail. The stolen items were discovered in Cass County on Oct. 22, four days after officials at Rural King summoned police. Officers reported the items included a lawn mower, generator, trailer, chain saws and motorbikes.

NILES -- Prairie trillium? The term is embedded in the mind of Neil Coulston, the Niles public works director who, at the end of the month, will close the door on a 35-year career with the city. "I'd heard of it, but I didn't know it was an endangered species in Niles, Mich.," he said last week. It was January 2010 when the Michigan Department of Natural Resources made Coulston painfully aware of the plant's possible presence in an area north of Fort Street, between the St. Joseph River and South Third Street.

BERRIEN SPRINGS -- The second annual Fruit Belt Bushel and 1/9th Lawn Mower Race will be at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. May 21 at the Berrien County Youth Fairgrounds, 9122 N. U.S. 31, Berrien Springs. Admission is $6 for adults and $3 for children age 12 and under. Tickets are on sale at the Berrien County Farm Bureau office, 8383 Edgewood Road, Berrien Springs, or at the door.

There is a feeling that no lead is insurmountable when Jay Cutler is your quarterback. This is borne of the swagger with which Cutler plays and the beauty with which he throws. Cutler unquestionably has given the Bears a comeback capacity they did not previously have. In fact, in four of their six games this year, he has led them on a fourth-quarter drive to tie the score or take the lead. But there is strong evidence to suggest it would be a smart move to turn off the TV and fire up the lawn mower if the Bears get down by 14 before the start of the fourth quarter as they were last Sunday in Cincinnati.

TRAFFIC Two men killed in one-vehicle crash STILLWELL -- Two men were killed in a single-vehicle accident Monday near Stillwell, authorities said. Donald Reading, 40, and John Boland, 60, both of Fish Lake, were pronounced dead at the scene, said LaPorte County Coroner John Sullivan. The investigation shows Reading and Boland were making the seven-mile drive from Fish Lake to LaPorte about 11 a.m. CST to get some gasoline for a lawn mower, Sullivan said. According to LaPorte County police, a westbound Dodge Dakota driven by Reading failed to negotiate a curve on Indiana 4 just east of Indiana 104 and veered off the highway to the left, striking a tree.

STILLWELL ? Two men were killed in a single-vehicle accident Monday near Stillwell, authorities said. Donald Reading, 40, and John Boland, 60, both of Fish Lake, were pronounced dead at the scene, said LaPorte County Coroner John Sullivan. The investigation shows Reading and Boland were making the seven-mile drive from Fish Lake to LaPorte about 11 a.m. CST to get some gasoline for a lawn mower, Sullivan said. According to LaPorte County police, a westbound Dodge Dakota driven by Reading failed to negotiate a curve on Indiana 4 just east of Indiana 104 and veered off the highway to the left, striking a tree.

The Benton Township Police Department responded to a vandalism call last week at the Forgotten Men Outreach Mission's Storehouse after facility overseers Sherron and Robert Wilder reported a break-in. Area teens told the Wilders that they had seen the vandals going in and out of the storage facility on several occasions. They assured the Wilders that the next time they saw anything suspicious they would contact them. The teens also offered to assist with the clean up of the facility. The location is used to store items donated to the mission for homeless individuals trying to get back on their feet.